Teen Girl Goes Missing Far From Home: Report

Image: Emma Vlodyka (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

An Alexandria-area family is working with police and a prominent missing persons group to find their 16-year-old daughter, who disappeared about two weeks ago.

The missing teen, Emma Vlodyka, ran away in Hampton, Va., after undergoing treatment in a mental health program there, WUSA-TV Channel 9 reported Wednesday.

Emma is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds. She has blue eyes and blonde hair, but she may have dyed her hair dark, police said.

She may be wearing black and blue glasses, and has two nose piercings, one hoop and one stud, both in her right nostril. Police believe she may still be in Virginia or have gone to Pennsylvania, according to media reports.

Emma's parents, Jen and Ray Garcia, are working with the Alexandria-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in searching for her. The center has posted fliers with Emma's photo and run messages via email, YouTube and social media (check out the video here).

The Garcias live in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County. Jen Garcia told Channel 9 that she went down to Hampton on Feb. 24 to visit her daughter, and they had lunch at the Peninsula Town Center.

And then Emma disappeared. “She just kind of said she couldn't do it and took off running,” Garcia said. “She had no money, she had no phone, really just the clothes she had on her back.”

Anyone with information about Emma's whereabouts should contact the Hampton Police Department at 1-757-727-6111 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).